Members of the Freedom to Earth Association (Yeryüzüne Özgürlük Derneği), who defend animal/earth/human freedom and green anarchists and anarchists as a whole, were taken by government anti-terrorism units from their homes simultaneously on May 14 at 5 a.m. They were kept under police custody for 4 days. While all of the members of the Freedom to Earth Association are now free, nine individuals, including vegan and vegetarians, were taken to prison where they remain today.

Our association, Freedom to Earth, works on some subjects like animal rights, human rights, and ecology. This is the first time an anti-terrorism operation was carried out by the police against animal rights and anarchist activists. The police claim that the arrested individuals were responsible for the May 1 attacks on banks and multi-national corperate stores in some areas in Istanbul. However, this is not and cannot be the case as these same individuals are against violence. In reality, the police were simply trying to silence and criminalize efforts like animal liberation, eco-defense and human liberation struggle.
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